Guatemala Guatemala (pronounced /ˌɡwɑːtəˈmɑːlə/ (listen) is a country in Central America bordering Mexico to the North, Belize to the Northeast and Honduras and El Salvador to the South. With an estimated population of 13,276,517, the majority of which is of Mayan decent. Guatemala is a representative democracy: a democracy very similar to America's. Guatemala's GDP is $37.32 Billion US dollars and their per capita income is $1628.
Attractions
If you watched the video above, you saw only a small portion of Guatemala's true beauty. Destinations and attractions you saw include: Tikal and El Mirador. These are among the greatest pre-Columbian cities built anywhere in the Americas, and visiting one or both is among the more memorable things one can do ANYWHERE. Beautiful hikes. Hike to the tops of volcanoes and mountains and deep into jungles teeming with life. Lake Atitlan. Go swimming and boating in one of the most scenic and breathtaking places in Guatemala. Architecture. See the beautiful Guatemalan architecture with a stunning combination of Mayan and Spanish Architecture.
History
The very first indication of humans in Guatemala goes to 12,000 BC but there weren't any major civilizations there until the Mayas came along. Almost all of the Mayan city-states were in Guatemala, including Tikal and Copan. These cities preserved many aspects of Mayan culture; they left magnificent stone cities, huge monoliths, and skyscraping temples which tower over everything around them. Their decline was a mystery, but many scientist agree that the Mayans disappeared for one of two reasons. Scientists believe that the Mayans either fled their beautiful stone cities to other kingdoms or regions or that they were wiped out by a famine As shown below, the Maya left their mark in Guatemala, and because of this Guatemala has become a major destination for tourists and archeologists alike.
In 1519, the Spanish started exploring in what is now Guatemala. Just like in America, the native population was soon wiped out by an epidemic brought on by contact with the Spaniards. Soon after, it became a Captaincy General of Spain and a South Eastern section of New Spain (Mexico). On September 15, 1821, the General Captaincy of Guatemala proclaimed independence from Spain. After a few "democratically" elected presidents were force out of office "the Junta called Guatemala's first free election, which was won with a majority of 85 percent by the prominent writer and teacher Juan José Arévalo Bermejo, who had lived in exile in Argentina for 14 years. Arévalo was the first democratically elected president of Guatemala to fully complete the term for which he was elected. His "Christian Socialist" policies, inspired by the U.S. New Deal"(wikipedia.org).
Culture
Religion
The predominant religion in Guatemala is Catholicism which is followed by 50%-60% of Guatemalans. 40% are Protestant and 1% follow the Mayan faith.
Language
Spanish is the official language of Guatemala and is spoken throughout the country but there is a very small number of people who still speak Mayan languages and other indigenous dialects.
Education
Like in America, there is a public school system in Guatemala which are free. However, Guatemala has just one public university(Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala).
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Table of Contents
Guatemala
Guatemala (pronounced /ˌɡwɑːtəˈmɑːlə/ (
Attractions
If you watched the video above, you saw only a small portion of Guatemala's true beauty. Destinations and attractions you saw include: Tikal and El Mirador. These are among the greatest pre-Columbian cities built anywhere in the Americas, and visiting one or both is among the more memorable things one can do ANYWHERE. Beautiful hikes. Hike to the tops of volcanoes and mountains and deep into jungles teeming with life. Lake Atitlan. Go swimming and boating in one of the most scenic and breathtaking places in Guatemala. Architecture. See the beautiful Guatemalan architecture with a stunning combination of Mayan and Spanish Architecture.History
The very first indication of humans in Guatemala goes to 12,000 BC but there weren't any major civilizations there until the Mayas came along. Almost all of the Mayan city-states were in Guatemala, including Tikal and Copan. These cities preserved many aspects of Mayan culture; they left magnificent stone cities, huge monoliths, and skyscraping temples which tower over everything around them. Their decline was a mystery, but many scientist agree that the Mayans disappeared for one of two reasons. Scientists believe that the Mayans either fled their beautiful stone cities to other kingdoms or regions or that they were wiped out by a famine As shown below, the Maya left their mark in Guatemala, and because of this Guatemala has become a major destination for tourists and archeologists alike.
In 1519, the Spanish started exploring in what is now Guatemala. Just like in America, the native population was soon wiped out by an epidemic brought on by contact with the Spaniards. Soon after, it became a Captaincy General of Spain and a South Eastern section of New Spain (Mexico). On September 15, 1821, the General Captaincy of Guatemala proclaimed independence from Spain. After a few "democratically" elected presidents were force out of office "the Junta called Guatemala's first free election, which was won with a majority of 85 percent by the prominent writer and teacher Juan José Arévalo Bermejo, who had lived in exile in Argentina for 14 years. Arévalo was the first democratically elected president of Guatemala to fully complete the term for which he was elected. His "Christian Socialist" policies, inspired by the U.S. New Deal"(wikipedia.org).
Culture
Religion
The predominant religion in Guatemala is Catholicism which is followed by 50%-60% of Guatemalans. 40% are Protestant and 1% follow the Mayan faith.Language
Spanish is the official language of Guatemala and is spoken throughout the country but there is a very small number of people who still speak Mayan languages and other indigenous dialects.Education
Like in America, there is a public school system in Guatemala which are free. However, Guatemala has just one public university(Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala).Citations
-wikipedia.org-nationalgeographic.com
-google.com/publicdata
-nationmaster.com